"Ramires is staying at Chelsea. He's not for sale," Mourinho told Marca. "I have an excellent friendship with important people within Real Madrid and they know that Ramires is going to stay at Chelsea.

"Cesc is a great player who adds a new dimension to our side. He is different to Matic, Ramires and Oscar. We will have a very complete midfield with him."

"Ancelotti is a special coach for me, and I really appreciate him," Ramires told the Spanish newspaper. "He helped me a lot when I arrived at Chelsea and he was very important in helping me adapt to my position as a central midfielder. He's a very good coach."

The 27-year-old clearly favoured playing under Ancelotti but Mourinho seems intent in doing everything he can to keep Ramires in west London.